About ESRI
ESRI designs and develops the world's leading geographic information system (GIS) technology. GIS is an important tool—one that helps shape the world around us.
What is GIS?
Key GIS Concepts
A geographic information system is a system for management, analysis, and display of geographic knowledge, which is represented using a series of information sets. The information sets include:
Maps and Globes
Interactive views of geographic data with which to answer questions, present results, and use as a dashboard for real work. Maps and globes provide the advanced GIS applications for interacting with geographic data.
Geographic Data Sets
File bases and databases of geographic information—features, networks, topologies, terrains, surveys, and attributes.
Processing and Work Flow Models
Collections of geoprocessing procedures for automating and repeating numerous tasks and for analysis.
Data Models
GIS data sets are more than database management system (DBMS) tables. They incorporate advanced behavior and integrity like other information systems. The schema, behavior, and integrity rules of geographic data sets play a critical role in GIS.
Metadata
Documents describing the other elements. A document catalog enables users to organize, discover, and gain access to shared geographic knowledge.
GIS is evolving from a database approach to a knowledge approach.
